Nanotechnology in Clothing

by Benjamin Lynch, Wednesday, 21st August 2024

The use of nanotechnology in the clothing and fabric industry is a rapidly developing area, with the incorporation of nanomaterials promoting beneficial properties such as improved sun protection1, reduced odour2,3 and increased anti-bacterial resistance3, all whilst keeping the clothing soft, light and wearable.

Antibacterial Nanosilver

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have historically been used in a wide range of applications due to their antibacterial properties. AgNPs work by releasing positive silver ions which are capable of killing bacteria, even at low concentrations.4 More recently, it has begun to be incorporated into clothing to help reduce body odour produced by bacteria. This can be done in a couple of different ways, with the first involving the AgNPs being mixed into a polymer mix which can be spun into the fibres. The other option would be to apply a coating containing the AgNPs to the garment. Both have their pros and cons, but there are concerns that the latter may result in excess leaching of AgNPs into the environment, which is a cause for concern. It is thought that the silver that leaches out of clothes as they are washed will end up in biosolids that are used as fertilizer on farmland. A 2013 study showed that concentrations of AgNPs in biosolids reduced the growth and microbial biomass significantly.5

Successful application of the AgNPs will be dependent on the size of the particles, so it is paramount that this is taken into account during the process. Malvern Panalytical’s Zetasizer Advance range is the perfect candidate for doing so! By measuring the Brownian motion of particles, the Zetasizer Advance can perform quick and easy measurements to give us the size of our nanoparticles.

Self-cleaning clothes

We all hate doing the laundry, right? So, wouldn’t it be great if clothes could clean themselves? Well, hopefully we aren’t too far away from that future. By combining silver or copper nanoparticles with the power of the sun.6 When the nanoparticles are exposed to UV light from the sun, they produce electrons which then break down the organic matter on our clothes. Key to this process is a high surface area which is achieved by having really small particles.

UV protection

Overexposure to UV light can lead to skin cancer and often it is only the clothes that we wear that are between us and the harmful rays. By increasing the ultraviolet Protection Factor of clothes, the amount of UV light blocked by the textile can be improved.7 Work by Rabiei et al.1 highlighted the incorporation of TiO2 nanoparticles on fabric can result in adequate protection against ultraviolet radiation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to monitor changes in the fabric structure.

References

1. Rabiei, H., Farhang Dehghan, S., Montazer, M., Khaloo, S. S., & Koozekonan, A. G. (2022). UV protection properties of workwear fabrics coated with TiO2 nanoparticles. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 929095.

2. Anderson, S. R., Mohammadtaheri, M., Kumar, D., O’Mullane, A. P., Field, M. R., Ramanathan, R., & Bansal, V. (2016). Robust nanostructured silver and copper fabrics with localized surface plasmon resonance property for effective visible light induced reductive catalysis. Advanced Materials Interfaces, 3(6), 1500632.

3. Paramsothy, M. (2021). Nanotechnology in clothing and fabrics. Nanomaterials, 12(1), 67.

4. Windler, L., Height, M., & Nowack, B. (2013). Comparative evaluation of antimicrobials for textile applications. Environment international, 53, 62-73.

5. Colman, B. P., Arnaout, C. L., Anciaux, S., Gunsch, C. K., Hochella Jr, M. F., Kim, B., … & Bernhardt, E. S. (2013). Low concentrations of silver nanoparticles in biosolids cause adverse ecosystem responses under realistic field scenario. PloS one, 8(2), e57189.

6. Anderson, S. R., Mohammadtaheri, M., Kumar, D., O’Mullane, A. P., Field, M. R., Ramanathan, R., & Bansal, V. (2016). Robust nanostructured silver and copper fabrics with localized surface plasmon resonance property for effective visible light induced reductive catalysis. Advanced Materials Interfaces, 3(6), 1500632.

7. Emam, H. E., & Bechtold, T. (2015). Cotton fabrics with UV blocking properties through metal salts deposition. Applied surface science, 357, 1878-1889.

Further reading

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